Nursing Week 4 Assignment 4.1: Considering Hypotheses and Research Questions

Read the following scenario.

You are a nurse on 5 West who has concerns about visiting hours in the Critical Care Unit. The unit currently has a visiting-hours policy that allows patients to rest and the staff to provide care in an environment that protects patient privacy and modesty. However, many nurses now feel that family presence improves patient outcomes. You and other nurses on your unit have noted that vital signs are improved and patients are more responsive when family is present. You are considering whether to use a quantitative or qualitative study to research this topic.

Step 2: Consider the following questions:

• What is the purpose of hypotheses and research      questions?
• Why is it important to develop workable hypotheses and      research questions in conducting research?
• What type of research—qualitative or quantitative—would      be most conducive to the scenario in Step 1? Why?
• Which would be more appropriate given the scenario in      Step 1: the development of a hypothesis or a research question or both?      Why?